


A Time For Action

by TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel



Series: Ripples [4]
Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family, First Meetings, Gen, Revelations, Secrets, Tags to be added as necessary, or at least Luke does, the Skywalker twins find out about their parentage, we'll see what happens with Leia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-06-01 23:12:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6540463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel/pseuds/TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Force works in mysterious ways, Obi-Wan had said once, early on in Luke’s training. As Luke sits in his cell aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer <i>Executor</i>, he reflects that Obi-Wan was right. How Luke getting captured by Imperials can be the will of the Force, Luke doesn’t know – but he wishes that the Force could have achieved its will in some other fashion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

** A Time For Action **  
** Chapter One **

The Force works in mysterious ways, Obi-Wan had said once, early on in Luke’s training. As Luke sits in his cell aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer _Executor_ , he reflects that Obi-Wan was right. How Luke getting captured by Imperials can be the will of the Force, Luke doesn’t know – but he wishes that the Force could have achieved its will in some other fashion.

There isn’t much to do, and no real way of escaping – they confiscated his lightsaber – and so Luke sits on the narrow bunk that juts out from the wall and practices meditation.

From here, he can sense a number of Force presences, belonging to some of those who live and work on the Star Destroyer, as they go about their business.

One of them – a powerful, distinctive presence in the Force – is headed Luke’s way.

Luke’s eyes snap open.

“Well, this can’t be good,” he mutters. He already has a premonition of who it might be.

Several minutes later, the cell door opens, and an imposing figure stands in the doorway. Darth Vader walks into the cell, allowing the door to close behind him, and pulls out a device which Luke recognises, in some confusion, as a scrambler.

“Luke Skywalker,” the Sith intones, and there is no mistaking the triumph in those mechanical tones. “We meet at last.”

Luke stares up at the man – if you can still call him that – who murdered his father, and swallows down the resentment and anger that threaten to engulf him. He knows well enough by now that negative emotions lead to the Dark Side – Obi-Wan has drilled that into him, emphasising the importance of releasing such emotions as a part of Luke’s training. But it is difficult for Luke to control his feelings when the reason he grew up without a father is standing in front of him.

Vader pauses a moment, as though waiting for Luke to respond: when he says nothing, Vader speaks again.

“I trust that you are well?”

“What do you care?” Luke snaps. He knows that such a response is unbefitting of the Jedi he wants to be, knows that antagonising Vader isn’t wise – but he can’t stop himself.

“I care because I am your father.”

It takes Luke a moment to process that, to understand the sheer gall of Vader’s statement, but then –

“You lie!” Luke shouts. “Obi-Wan told me that you killed my father!”

There’s a beat of silence. The helmeted head tilts slightly, as though Vader is absorbing this information.

“That is unusually underhanded, even for him,” is all that Vader says. “Regardless, I _am_ your father. Search your feelings. You know it to be true.”

“I know no such thing!” 

Luke reaches out to the Force for confirmation of what he knows – that Vader killed his father, and this is some kind of sick game to get Luke to side with him.

But to Luke’s shock, the confirmation Luke is looking for isn’t there. He presses forward, looking for it, but instead – 

…instead, he feels Vader’s presence in the Force, strangely tentative despite its strength, and absolutely _sincere_. Luke searches for some kind of deception, but finds none. It’s that sincerity that sends Luke reeling, recoiling on instinct both physically and in the Force.

Vader reaches out a hand as though to steady him as he staggers backwards, and _no. Just no._

“ _No!”_

Luke doesn’t realise that he’s said the word aloud, projecting all his horror and dismay into the Force, until Vader’s hand drops back to his side, and the Sith straightens, an emotional shield snapping into place around him that hides the sincerity and fragile hope that Luke sensed only a moment ago. Abruptly Vader is back to being the powerful, commanding presence he was the first time Luke ever saw him, on the Death Star hours before its destruction. There is no hint of the softer emotions about him.

The sudden change makes Luke flinch, scrambling to pull himself together even as he feels as though his world has just collapsed. He can’t stop himself from reaching out into the Force, searching, hoping that he doesn’t find what he’s looking for.

He does.

There is a bond between him and Vader, a familial bond that Luke never even suspected existed until just now. But it’s there, however unwelcome.

Luke almost lets out a cry at the discovery, but bites his lip, keeping silent. Drawing on Obi-Wan’s training, he restrains the emotions he’s been inadvertently projecting into the Force, and closes his eyes. Aligning himself with the Light Side of the Force takes little effort, but releasing his emotions – shock, horror, painful betrayal – takes more effort.

Luke doesn’t know how long he stands there, battling with himself, before he opens his eyes again with a soft exhale.

Vader is still there, standing motionless, his gaze trained on Luke.

“Why would he lie to me?” Luke asks into the silence. He doesn’t need to say who ‘he’ is: they both know who Luke means. “Why would he hide the truth?”

For a long moment Vader only stands there, expression indiscernible behind the helmet. Luke has no idea what he’s thinking.

“Perhaps he thought to protect you,” Vader finally offers, his tone strangely neutral.

Luke scoffs.

“By convincing me to hate my own father?” The words fall from his lips with a strange ease, considering the fact that Luke is still struggling to accept this discovery of his parentage. “How is _that_ protecting me?”

“You are not the only one who has been wronged. Obi-Wan hid your existence from me for nineteen years. It was only through the will of the Force that I discovered the truth for myself. He has deprived me from being involved in the life of my son. However,” Vader adds, “had he not hidden you, your existence would most likely have been discovered by the Emperor, who would either have had you killed, or raised to take my place as his servant. That you have so far been spared both fates is something I am grateful for.”

Luke pales at that, and shudders at the images Vader’s words conjure up. He’s lost enough in the horror of them that it takes him a moment before he realises he’s missed an important phrase in Vader’s speech.

“Wait. ‘So far?’”

“It is only a matter of time before the Emperor discovers you,” Vader says, and the mechanical voice distorts slightly, almost a low growl. “Your role in destroying the Death Star is no secret among the Rebellion. Already, your name has been passed on to several Imperial spies within the Rebellion’s ranks. I have sworn them to secrecy where I can, but sooner or later one of Sidious’ personal spies will obtain the information.”

If Luke was horrified before, he was even more horrified now.

“What can I do?”

“Assist me in defeating the Emperor,” Vader says simply.

“You mean kill him.”

“It is the only way,” says Vader. “The Jedi attempted to do so, but failed. I am not strong enough to kill him on my own. But together –”

“Is that why you told me that you were my – my father?” Luke demands. “So that I’d help you kill the Emperor?”

“ _No_.” Luke startles at the ferocity in Vader’s voice, the sudden protective wash of emotion detectable in the Force, even through Vader’s shields. “I told you the truth because _you are my son_. You are the only thing left in the universe of my angel, and I do not want to see you destroyed by Sidious. Do you understand?”

Luke, wide-eyed, nods. Then he says, “Your angel?”

Vader is silent a moment.

“Padme Amidala Naberrie,” he says, and his voice is almost gentle. “My wife.”

Luke gapes a bit at that, because while he’d known he had to have a mother, the thought of _Vader_ being _married_ at some point in time is a difficult one to grasp.

Vader seems to read his astonishment easily enough.

“Did you think that I alone was involved in your creation?” he asks sardonically, and Luke flushes.

“What-? No! Of course not. I just… Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen never told me anything about my mother, that’s all, and I never really… well, it never occurred to me to ask Obi-Wan.”

Luke wonders, now, what Obi-Wan would have said if Luke _had_ asked – considering his lies about Luke’s father. He wants to ask about his mother, but Vader speaks before he can.

“Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen?” Vader repeats. “Owen Lars?”

Luke nods, and a new question abruptly occurs to him.

“They _were_ my aunt and uncle, weren’t they?” he adds, wondering whether anything that he’s been told about his family tree is true. If Vader really is his father – and Luke knows that he is, even if Luke is having trouble accepting that fact – rather than a dead man, then who knows what other lies Luke has been told about his family.

“Lars… was my stepbrother,” says Vader. “His father married my mother after I… left Tatooine.” For a moment it seemed as though Vader had been about to say something else, but Luke forgets that as Vader goes on to say, “I only met him the once.”

Luke blinks at that.

“So… Uncle Owen wasn’t really my uncle?” Luke shakes his head. Today has been so full of revelations that Luke is almost calm at this latest one. It’s like the first shock was great enough that this new one doesn’t even register. Well, _almost_.

“That depends on how you define family,” says Vader. “I never regarded him as such.” He hesitates. “If you wish to consider him family, however, that is up to you.”

Luke absorbs Vader’s words. Blood-related or not, he always regarded Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru as the closest family he had. That’s not likely to change.

But still, Luke has a father now, where before he had no one, and… that means something to Luke, even if it will take Luke time to work out exactly what. Luke has so many questions he would like to ask, about his father, about his mother, about who they were and where they came from…

Eventually, he settles on the most pressing one.

“My aunt and uncle and Obi-Wan all told me that my father was a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker,” Luke says, and although it comes out as a statement, there is a question implicit in the words.

“That name no longer has any meaning to me,” says Vader immediately.

“But you _were_ him?” Luke says, just to be clear.

Vader is silent for a moment.

“Once,” he allows. “A long time ago. But the Anakin Skywalker that Obi-Wan has told you about is dead.”

Luke stares at him. So his father was once Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi… but somehow, in the intervening time, he had become Lord Vader, a Sith, and the Emperor’s right hand man – even if that last role was not one he still held willingly, if his words and actions to Leia were true.

Luke wonders how the Force such a change has occurred.

“I get the feeling that there’s a lot of history no one has been telling me,” he says deprecatingly.

There’s a moment of silence, the only sound Vader’s mechanical breathing. Then –

“You are right,” says Vader. “But we do not have enough time to discuss it in the detail it deserves.” There’s another moment filled with harsh breathing. “You must decide whether you will aid me in bringing down the Emperor.”

“What, right now?” Luke says. He shakes his head again. “I can’t decide _right now_! Besides, I don’t even know whether I’ll be able to help – Obi-Wan says I’ve still got a long way to go, as far as my training is concerned.”

“That does not surprise me,” says Vader. “Traditionally, the Jedi were trained from infancy. The oldest Jedi initiate in the last eight hundred years was nine years old, and even then he was regarded by many within the Order as too old to properly absorb the Jedi ways.” There’s a hint of bitterness in Vader’s voice, but Luke barely notices.

“Nine years old?!” Luke splutters, jaw dropping. “But I was _nineteen_ when Obi-Wan began training me!” 

“I am aware,” Vader says dryly. “But as my son, you have inherited enormous potential. And Obi-Wan’s choice of Jedi candidates is no doubt extremely limited.”

Luke tries to work out whether he just been complimented, or insulted, or some combination of both. He’s pretty sure it’s both.

“So what happens now?” Luke asks. “You can’t keep me here, or the Emperor will find out about me.”

“You are correct,” Vader acknowledges. “If you are not ready to face the Emperor, then we must smuggle you off the _Executor_ as soon as possible. It is to our advantage that no one else aboard this ship recognised you for who you are. I will most likely be able to pass you off as a nameless Rebel who managed to escape with the assistance of Rebel double-agents.”

“There are Alliance spies here? And you know about them?” Luke asks – and then wonders at his own surprise.

“They are not as circumspect as they wish to think,” says Vader. “Only the arrogance and obtuseness of many of their compatriots saves them from discovery.” His tone is damning.

Luke can’t help the slight twitch of his lips.

“You’re not a fan of some of the people you work with, I’m guessing.”

“I have little patience for stupidity,” Vader replies simply, and then tilts his head, as though listening to something only he can hear. “We have run out of time. I must return to my duties.”

“Wait!” Luke says, before Vader can leave. “How am I going to escape? And how – how will I contact you? About the Emperor?”

Luke isn’t certain that he wants to join Vader in destroying the Emperor – but right now, he is confused and conflicted, unsure what he wants or how to feel about _anything_ , let alone defeating the Emperor at Vader’s side. Give it some time, and he may feel differently about the issue.

Vader nods, and moves to unhook a comm unit from his belt.

“A good question. You will take this with you,” he says, handing Luke the comm unit. “You will find that it is programmed to the same frequency as my personal communicator. The line is encrypted, preventing anyone else from listening in. When you are ready to join me in my efforts against Sidious, find a location where you cannot readily be overheard, and contact me.”

Luke accepts the comm unit, a little hesitantly, and hides it in one of his pockets.

“And how am I escaping, again?”

“Leave that to me,” is all that Vader says. He deactivates the scrambler and tucks it back into his belt where it isn’t obvious, gives Luke one last, inscrutable look, and leaves the cell.

Luke settles back down on the single bunk, his mind whirling, trying to make sense of everything that he’s just heard.

He assumes a meditative pose, and tries to clear his mind of emotions.

He… pretty much fails.

It’s all too much, all at once, and Luke is having trouble processing everything he’s been told. His father isn’t dead, his father is _Vader_ – Obi-Wan lied to him about that, and who knows what else? – he finally has a name for his mother after all this time, and Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru aren’t blood relations the way Luke has always believed. It’s a lot of shattering revelations to deal with, all at once. 

Luke doesn’t know how long he spends trying to meditate before he finally gives up and just _feels_.

But it seems like a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter Two **

As it turns out, Luke is rescued by a very nervous Imperial officer-turned-rebel spy. The two of them make it to the docking bay easily enough, and climb into the nearest TIE fighter, but once the ship starts up the Imperial troops seem to notice that something is wrong, trying to shoot the TIE fighter down. Luke curses and relies on his Jedi reflexes to keep them out of harm’s way until he can make the jump to hyperspace.

Only once they’re in empty space, free of the other TIE fighters that had been chasing them, does Luke slump in his seat with a sigh.

He feels exhausted, and wrung-out by both their exciting escape, and all the conflicting emotions he’s experienced today.

“So,” he says to the woman in the Imperial officer’s uniform, who is shaking out her hands after gripping the controls for the weapons array far too tightly. “What’s your story?”

The spy wets her lips, and asks, “Are you really Luke Skywalker? The hero of the Battle of Yavin?” instead of answering the question.

“I am,” Luke assures her. “How did you know who I was? I didn’t think anyone on-board the _Executor_ had guessed.”

The spy hesitates. She looks suspicious.

“You’re really Luke Skywalker?” she says again.

Luke nods encouragingly.

The spy hesitates a moment longer, then blurts out, “You won’t believe this, but it was Lord Vader. He told me that he knew that I was a spy, and that if I wished to live I needed to free you from your cell and get both of us off the _Executor_. He was the one who told me who you were.”

“Ah,” says Luke. So that was what Vader had meant when he said ‘leave that to me.’

Luke probes the spy’s feelings in the Force, but she seems to be sincere.

“I don’t understand,” said the spy. “Why would Lord Vader want a hero of the _Alliance_ saved?”

She still looks and sounds deeply suspicious. Luke can feel her suspicion and confusion in the Force.

Luke considers for a moment. He weighs the advantages and disadvantages of telling at least some of the truth.

“What I’m about to tell you can’t go beyond us,” he says seriously, and receives an intent nod in response. “The truth is, Vader has been working against the Emperor for some time now. You can’t tell anyone, understand? _No one_ can know. If the Emperor discovered that Vader has betrayed him, he’d have Vader executed and we’d lose one of the Alliance’s biggest sources of assistance.”

Not to mention that Luke would lose the father he’s only just discovered he has. Luke still isn’t sure how he feels about Vader, but he’d like the chance to figure it out.

The spy chokes.

“ _Vader_ is working for the Alliance?!”

“Not officially. Do I have your word that you won’t speak of this to anyone?” Luke leans into the Force, and tries to project seriousness and authority, the way he’s seen Obi-Wan do.

The spy nods, still looking dazed by what Luke has just told her.

While she’s dealing with that information, Luke sets their course for Hoth, where the Alliance’s current base is. 

“Why are you so important that Vader would risk exposing himself in order to get you off the _Executor_?” the spy suddenly asks. “I understand that the capture of one of the Alliance’s heroes would be bad for morale, but that can’t be the only reason.”

Luke smiles a little, rather wryly. There’s no way he’s telling her the truth. Time to tell a convenient lie.

“I’m currently the only Jedi apprentice in existence,” he says. “And the Jedi are probably the ones with the greatest chance of taking on the Emperor directly, and winning.”

The spy’s brow wrinkles.

“The Jedi? Weren’t they some kind of religious order?” she asks, a little uncertainly.

“Sort of,” Luke nods, and launches into an explanation of the Force and what it can do.

The spy considers this.

“So… these Jedi have superhuman powers?”

“I guess,” says Luke. “Except that anyone can be strong in the Force, not just humans.”

“If you’re a Jedi apprentice, do you have these powers?” The spy sounds curious.

Luke nods again.

“Some of them, although I’m still pretty new to the whole thing,” he confesses. He eyes the spy. “Say, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh,” says the spy, and smiles a little sheepishly. “Jocasta Arnet,” she says, and offers a hand for Luke to shake.

He shakes it, and grins a bit, even though he still feels like he’s been trampled by a bantha.

“Well, thanks for the rescue, Jocasta. I appreciate it.”

Jocasta grins back, a little shakily. Luke can tell that the events of the past hour or so are catching up with her.

“I’m going to just… sit, for a while,” she says, leaning back in her seat.

“Feel free, it’s going to be a while before we reach the base,” says Luke.

He watches as Jocasta closes her eyes, then turns his gaze out towards the emptiness of space that he can see through the window in front of him.

Luke tentatively reaches out into the Force, along the bond he sensed earlier. A familiar presence lies at the other end.

There’s a sensation of startled surprise in the Force, and then a feeling of pleased acknowledgement from Vader.

Luke withdraws, feeling troubled.

He doesn’t know what to think, but he knows one thing: he needs to talk to Obi-Wan.

* * *

When Luke and Jocasta climb out of the TIE fighter, after recieving permission to land, Leia is there waiting for them, along with a couple of Alliance officers.

When she sees Luke, Leia smiles in relief and welcome, an expression which quickly turns to a frown of concern.

“Luke, what happened?” she asks, as soon as he approaches. “You look terrible.”

Luke grins wanly.

“Oh, I’m not too bad,” he says. “I assume that Intelligence wants to see me and Jocasta?”

Leia nods, still frowning.

“As soon as possible, but if you need to see a medic first–”

“No, no, I’m fine. Physically, anyway,” Luke adds ruefully, because emotionally is another matter.

“Then what’s wrong?” Leia presses.

Luke glances sideways at Jocasta and the two Alliance officers.

“Not here,” he says. “Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

Leia nods. 

“Of course,” she says. Leaving the two Alliance officers to escort Jocasta to the head of the Intelligence division, she and Luke find the closest empty conference room.

“Luke, what is it?” 

Luke hesitates, unsure of how to voice the enormity of what he’s learned.

“Obi-Wan lied to me,” he says finally. “My father – Vader didn’t kill him.”

“What?” Leia blinks. “Then is he–”

Luke swallows, and can’t meet her eyes. 

“Anakin Skywalker wasn’t killed by Vader,” he says, looking at the floor. “He _became_ Vader.”

There’s a long and terrible silence.

“What?” Leia says, like she can’t understand what she’s just been told. “But that means…”

“Darth Vader is my father,” Luke admits, his voice shaking, and finally looks at Leia.

Her face is a picture of horrified dismay, mixed with compassion.

“Are you _sure?_ ” says Leia.

Luke nods.

“There’s no way Vader was lying – I could sense his sincerity in the Force. He – he told Jocasta that he knew she was a Rebel and sent her to rescue me so that the Emperor doesn’t try to kill or recruit me.”

“Oh, Luke,” says Leia, her hand on his arm. Luke just looks at her, and Leia pulls him into a hug.

In the months since they first became acquainted aboard the Death Star, Leia has become Luke’s closest friend. Luke didn’t realise until just now how much he appreciates her support – but now that he really needs it, having her support is a balm to him.

“I can’t believe Obi-Wan lied to me about Vader,” Luke says, when he and Leia finally break apart. “I mean, he’d have to have known I’d hate Vader because of the lie he’d told me.”

Leia’s gaze is sharp.

“From what Obi-Wan has said, he and Vader have a tumultuous history,” she says slowly. “Perhaps that’s what Obi-Wan wanted.”

“But _why?_ ” Luke asks.

Leia shrugs helplessly.

“Specifically? I don’t know. You'll have to ask him.” 

Luke takes a deep breath, and runs a hand over his face.

“There were other things, too,” he says. “I turns out by aunt and uncle were only related to me through marriage, and – and I found out who my mother was.” Luke stops, swallowing.

“Who was she?” Leia’s voice is soft.

“Padme Amidala Naberrie,” say Luke, and sees Leia’s eyes widen in shock. “Leia? Do you know her?”

“She was one of the founding members of the Alliance, in the last days of the Republic,” says Leia, astonishment writ large on her face. “She was possibly the most popular Queen-elect Naboo has ever had. One of my tutors was from Naboo, and he assigned me to write a paper on her, once. I heard my father mention her a few times – she was an old friend of his.” Leia stares at Luke. 

“My mother was a _queen?_ ” Luke says incredulously. He shakes his head. “I never knew anything about her.” The next question is difficult. “What happened to her?”

“No one really knows.” Leia’s face is full of regret. “She died during the transition of the Republic to Empire, and there were all kinds of rumours about how she was killed, but I never met anyone who knew for sure. A state funeral was held for her on Empire Day, but… more than that, I can’t tell you. I’m sorry.” 

Luke’s mouth is suddenly dry.

“But… I was born on Empire Day,” he manages. “If her funeral was two days later…” he trails off, belatedly catching the look of surprise from Leia. “What?”

“It’s nothing.”

Luke frowns, and Leia shakes her head.

“No, really, it’s nothing. It’s just… my birthday is on Empire Day, too,” Leia confesses, smiling a little ruefully. “I’m glad that I’m not the only one who has to live with the irony.”

Luke actually chuckles a bit, despite how he’s feeling.

Leia sobers a moment later.

“I can’t believe one of the last great figures of the Republic had a child with _Lord Vader_.”

“They were married,” Luke says, feeling some obscure prompting to defend his parent’s marriage, even though he has no idea whether they even got along – although Vader, at least, seems to have loved Luke’s mother, if the way he spoke of her was any indication.

Leia’s eyebrows rise.

“Married? That’s even stranger.”

Luke can’t actually disagree, although he’d like to.

“He seemed to really love her,” Luke says instead. “I wish I knew how she died.”

Leia looks sympathetic.

“Ask Obi-Wan,” she suggests.

“So he can lie to me about that, too?” Luke says bitterly.

Leia sends him a look.

“Sorry.”

“I’m not saying you should trust him,” says Leia, “but if you listen to what he has to say, and read between the lines, you might discover more than you imagine.”

Luke sighs.

“Perhaps,” he allows. “Thank you for letting me dump all this on you.”

“What are friends for?” Leia asks, smiling a little. 

“I should probably go report in to Intelligence,” says Luke, grimacing. “They’re going to want to know about Vader and Jocasta. About Vader helping me escape, I mean,” Luke adds hastily. “I’m not planning on telling anyone else about the other thing.”

“I don’t blame you,” says Leia. “Take care, Luke.”

Luke gives her one last, sad smile, and goes to attend his debriefing.

* * *

The debriefing goes for a while. The higher-ups seems perturbed at yet more evidence that Vader is assisting the Alliance; they should be pleased, Luke thinks, but supposes that you can’t run a rebellion against a tyrannical dictator without a certain degree of natural suspicion.

Finally, Luke is dismissed, and he heads to the commissary for a snack before going in search of Obi-Wan.

He finds the Jedi Master in his quarters. Obi-Wan begins to express his pleasure that Luke escaped the Imperials who had captured him, but Luke cuts him off.

“Why did you lie to me?” he demands.

“About what, Luke?”

“About my father.” Luke hesitates, and adds, “About Vader.”

Obi-Wan sighs, and looks old and tired.

“I take it he told you.”

“ _Why_ , Obi-Wan?” Luke says. “Did you _want_ me to hate him?” It’s an honest question.

“A Jedi does not feel hatred,” says Obi-Wan, but otherwise doesn’t answer the question.

“Dislike, then,” says Luke, refusing to be put off by non-answers. “Come on, Obi-Wan. _Why?_ ”

“Vader and the Emperor must be destroyed,” says Obi-Wan matter-of-factly.

Luke stares at him disbelievingly.

“You want me to destroy my father,” Luke realises. “To kill him.”

There’s a long silence in which Obi-Wan doesn’t disagree.

Luke can’t believe this.

“I trusted you. And all this time, you were planning to have me kill my father? Without even telling me who he was to me?”

“Darth Vader is a Sith,” Obi-Wan begins, but Luke cuts him off.

“He’s helping us!”

“But _why_ , Luke?” Obi-Wan insists. “To what end? I do not trust him. The Anakin Skywalker I once knew is dead.”

“What _happened_ between you two, anyway?” Luke asks, fed up with never getting answers. “And no lies, this time.”

“Anakin turned to the Dark Side,” says Obi-Wan. “He betrayed and murdered the Jedi Order, men, women – even children. He attacked your mother, who chose death rather than face the monster her husband had become. He has committed countless acts of atrocity over the years, and cannot be allowed to continue, no matter how helpful he appears to be at present.”

“So this is really about revenge,” says Luke slowly. “I thought the Jedi were supposed to be above all that.” He feels disappointed and betrayed by the Jedi Master.

“It is not about revenge. He is evil, Luke.”

“So you say, but you’re the one who tried to set me up to murder my own father,” Luke says. “At least Vader hasn’t lied to me.”

“But has he told you the full truth?”

Luke lets out a short, angry huff of breath.

“I guess that’s something I’m going to have to figure out for myself, since I obviously can’t depend on you,” he says. “Is there anything else you haven’t told me, Obi-Wan? Any other secret family members I don’t know about?”

Luke means it as a jab at Obi-Wan. But this close, he feels a _twinge_ from the Jedi Master in response to his words, and freezes.

“Obi-Wan. Tell me you’re not keeping even _more_ family from me.”

“I can tell you nothing, Luke, for your protection and theirs,” says Obi-Wan – but Luke is already reaching out, his eyes closed, searching the Force for a bond similar to the one he shares with his father. He finds one, and it’s far stronger than the one he has with Vader. It’s also familiar.

At the same moment, Leia’s words from earlier come back to Luke, with sudden, illuminating import.

_ It’s just… my birthday is on Empire Day, too. _

Luke’s eyes fly open.

“ _Leia_ ,” he breathes, and Obi-Wan closes his eyes in resignation.


End file.
